Symptoms or Indications That Your Child Has Allergies

The followings problems may indicate that your child has allergies. Since each may be caused by another disease, you should consult with your doctor to make sure allergies are responsible before taking any further steps.

Frequent Colds: Most children will have six to eight colds in their first year of life and three to four per year in their third and fourth years. If however, your child's cold lasts longer than several weeks and/or your child always seem to have a cold, allergies may be the reason.

Frequent ear infections: Many children have this problem. Although Allergies are not always the cause, it is a possibility worth investigating.

Sniffing, snoring and mouth breathing: Parents often think that sniffing, snoring and mouth breathing are simply bad habits caused by not blowing one's nose properly. This is not always the case. If these signs persist for weeks or months, they may indicate that the lining of the nose is swollen because of allergies.

Watery liquid from the nose and/or sneezing: A cold could be the cause of this watery liquid, but if it persists, it may be a sign of allergies.

Itching or rubbing of the nose: Chances are that children who are constantly rubbing their noses are not doing so out of habit. They may be trying to unblock a congested nasal passage to allow freer breathing. Rubbing the nose is such a familiar hallmark of an allergy sufferer that it has been nicknamed "the allergic salute". If it is done repeatedly, it may even produce a crease across the nose which is called "the allergic crease".

Repeated nose bleeds: The blood vessels at the tip of the nose are quite near the surface of the skin. Allergies may cause the lining of the nose to swell and this in turn can disturb the surface blood vessels, breaking them and causing nose bleeds.

Frequent throat clearing and/or coughing: Repeated throat clearing especially when the child wakes up in the morning may be caused by allergies. Allergies cause the nose to swell and fill with mucus. Then, either the mucus drips down through the back of the nasal passage into the throat, causing the child to clear his or her throat, or the throat becomes dry because the mucus-clogged nose cannot moisten the air that is being breathed in. When the latter happens, the back of the throat becomes irritated causing coughing.

Headaches: Frequent headaches especially in the front part of the head near the nose may indicate allergies. Headaches occur because of pressure caused by the swelling in the nose. In older children, when the sinuses have developed they may be affected.

Coughing: It may be a mild form of asthma. If coughing has persisted for months, is worse at night or is aggravated by smoke, cold air or exercise, asthma, an allergic reaction of the lungs may be the cause.

Wheezing, rapid breathing, chest congestion: All of these may be caused by lung diseases such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis or pneumonia. However, if these signs recur more than three or four times, asthma should be considered.

Breathing difficulties or coughing with exercise or laughing: If your child repeatedly develops coughing and/or difficulty in breathing after any sort of exercise, including laughing or crying, this may indicate an underlying asthmatic problem.

Eye redness, watery discharge and/or swelling: Eye problems can be caused by infections, but if they occur repeatedly, especially during the allergy season (spring, summer and autumn)), allergies may be the cause.

Facial Changes: Children who have long-standing nose obstruction may develop a high arched palate or narrow chin and an overbite.

Dark circles under the eyes: In many cases, fatigue or family genes may cause dark circles. But in large number of people, these circles, or "allergic shiners" as they are called, are the result of allergies. The color comes when blood moves more slowly than normal through the veins under the eyes. This happens when a blockage in the nose causes a back-up in the veins.

Vomiting and diarrhea: Because there are numerous possible causes for vomiting and diarrhea, allergies should only be considered if there is a definite and consistent connection to certain foods.

Skin rashes: There are two main types of rashes caused by allergies i.e. Eczema and nettle-rash (Urticaria).

Adenoid and tonsil problems: Repeated swellings inside the nose, caused by allergies, may allow infections to develop more easily. These infections may spread to the adenoids, which are located at the back of the nose, and can cause them to swell, blocking the nasal passage. Surgically removing the adenoids may alleviate the obstruction caused by the allergic nose problem, but will not cure the allergy.